A new friend

I had the opportunity to meet another blogger today when SFO Mom and I traveled to Shady Maple Smorgasbord to meet Michele. It was a wonderful morning of getting to know each other and trade stories about our children. I count her as a new friend.

After breakfast, SFO Mom and I headed over to Shady Maple Grocery Store so I could pick up a few things, including freshly made rice cakes, apple bread to take to my friend this weekend and a few other things that I can only find at that store. SFO Mom found a few things too, including gummy peach flavored penguins - very interesting.

All in all, a fun girls day. I hope we can do this again sometime.

Brotherly Love

I had a great weekend. My oldest brother, who lives in Georgia, visited. It was so great to see him - of course I would never admit that to him. Only kidding, I enjoy spending time with him and we don't get to see each other often.

Here's a shot of my parents, myself and my brother celebrating my mom's birthday.



Photo taken by my sweet husband John.

A note to my post of January 16

I was very happy to report that my husband went to Arizona for the Barrett Jackson car auction and didn't buy a car. My happiness was short lived. Upon his return home, he decided to purchase a 1940 Chevy that he looked at over the Christmas holidays. As part of the deal, I will not, repeat will not, under any circumstances, give up my spot in the garage. Film at 11!

The Cardinals (no not the ones from Arizona)

Look closely in the picture (click to enlarge) and you will find four (4) male and two (2) female cardinals in our yard. I don't think I have ever seen so many cardinals together at one time. One male is peeking out from behind the pig statue, another is to the left of the shed on the wood rack while the other two are visible on the fence and in the snow. Thee is one female in the feeder and one on the ground next to the male.

It's unusual to see so many males so close together as they are fairly territorial. My husband did a great job of capturing so many at one time. I must tell you that the day before, there were five males hanging out there.

Happy Birthday Mom

Today is my mom's birthday. She hits the big 80! Perhaps my dad, after 58 years of marriage should get her that menopause mood ring. Of course, he'll wear the imprint!

Menopause Jewelry

I received this from a neighbor. For all of us "girls" going through "the change," it is most appropriate. For all our husbands, read and learn.

Menopause Jewelry

My husband, being unhappy with my mood swings,
bought me a mood ring the other day so he would be
able to monitor my moods.

We've discovered that when I'm in a good mood, it
turns green. When I'm in a bad mood, it leaves a
big frickin red mark on his forehead.

Maybe next time he'll buy me a diamond. Dumb ass.

FS - Free Stuff

Okay, usually when I say FS I mean free sh*t. But not this time! Country Girl Kate is giving away an awesome primitive sheep at her blog. Be sure to check it out and enter to win. Be sure to tell her that Maxiemom sent you!

PS - Sorry Kate, I tried to copy the picture over, but I can't figure out how to do it with my new laptop.

My husband is a big tease

My husband is in Arizona at the Barrett-Jackson Classic Car Auction - for work (yeah right!). He knows that if I could have any classic car, I would love to have a '59 or '60 Corvette. My neighbor back home has one and growing up his wife would take three of us to school in this two seater sports car. Me in the passenger seat, one of her sons on the console and the other under the dash. That's how we rolled back in the 60's - no seat belts, no car seats, no problem! So when he saw one on the auction grounds today, he felt it necessary to send me a picture. He didn't buy it for me - I want a black one.

All's Quiet on the Home Front

It's very quiet at my house. My son is back at school, my niece the brat left yesterday and today my husband left for a business trip. So it's just me and Maxie.

My son had an uneventful trip back to school. The roads were clear and the traffic wasn't bad - thanks to his poor planning and leaving late so he missed the Eagles-Giants game traffic. I know he wanted to be back at school in time to watch the game, but he got to listen to it as he drove. And best of all, the Eagles won, so that made going back to school even better.

My niece the brat went home yesterday. My parents delivered her to the airport with only on detour because they missed a turn. Fortunately they allow plenty of time, so she wasn't late. I received a very nice phone call from her upon her return to Texas thanking me for arranging her visit and taking her shopping. I will miss her since I don't know when I will see her again.

My husband is in Arizona. It was a pretty last minute trip and one that he has no problem going on. As I have mentioned in the past, my husband and son are into antique and classic cars. We own a 1950 Buick, a 1963 Ford Galaxie and a 1984 Cadillac El Dorado like the one that was blown up in the final scene of the movie "Casino so it is more than just an interest - it is their hobby! In addition, my husband works for an insurance company that underwrites policies for a company that insures antique cars. So his trip is to represent the company at the Barrett-Jackson Auction in Scottsdale Arizona. As he reminded me often before he left - it was a sacrifice he was willing to make to "put food on the table." Not much of a sacrifice for him, but I am glad that he has the opportunity to attend this event as it is something he has wanted to go to for years. I think that the only thing he was disappointed in was that the boy is back at school and couldn't attend with him. But on the plus side, when the two of them go, my husband will know what to see and do.

And while the quiet is nice, I am looking forward to my husband coming home - as long as he doesn't buy another car while he is there!!!

But They're Cousins, Not Identical Cousins

Here they are, the brat and the boy. I snapped this just as the boy was ready to go back to college on Sunday afternoon. The brat complained because her hair wasn't washed and she wasn't dressed in any of her funky clothes. As far as the boy goes, I certainly never told him that maroon and red work together.

By the way, there is nothing wrong with your vision, the boy does have a crooked nose - the result of a loose ball scramble while playing summer basketball four years ago. It will need to be fixed once he has stopped growing.

Back to School and Shopping with My Niece the Brat

The boy went back to school today. It took him about an hour to pack his car, after taking almost a week to pack his clothes and other things to take back to school. His room still looks like a bomb hit it. Now I will have to spend the next several days shoveling my way to his bed to strip it and put clean sheets on it so when Nurse Nancy's son Junior Birdman comes to visit he can stay in his "cool" friend's room.

The house is not quiet yet. My niece is here for one more night. We went shopping today. Goodwill was a bust, but we hit the clearance racks at Target and hit the mother lode. She found lots of camis and "wife beaters" (Soprano reference - I live in NJ) along with two handbags. And after shopping with my parents last week, she will definitely need a second suitcase to go home.

Tomorrow I will deliver her to my parent's house where she will have one final night of being spoiled, then it's back to reality. And I'll miss her!

Getting Interviewed

Kate the Country Girl was interviewed on her blog today and she invited her readers to be interviewed by her. I think it's a great way for people to get to know you so I thought I'd give it a try. So herewith my interview by Kate:


1. I can see from your blog that you're a bit of a sports fan. Did you play any sports in high school or college? What sports do you enjoy viewing?

Ooh, a locker room question - yes, I did play sports in high school - three years of varsity tennis, two years of JV field hockey and a year of lacrosse. I would have loved to play tennis in college, but my schedule conflicted with practice, so I opted to be a student and not a student-athlete. It was definitely a mistake, since I really missed playing competitive tennis.

As far as watching, I love to watch ice hockey, baseball, tennis and football, but only if I am at the game.

2. When did you begin blogging? And why?

I started blogging almost two years ago after reading some other blogs. I don't remember why I started it, but it was probably to see if I could figure out how to do it.

3. Where is the farthest you've travelled from home? Did you enjoy the trip?

About eight and a half years ago, I had the opportunity to go to Hawaii. My husband had a conference to go to, so we decided to make it a family trip. It was one of the best vacations I have ever been on - we went to the Pearl Harbor Memorial, we drove the Road to Hana, drove to the top of Haleakala, introduced our son to snorkeling, watched from the beach as he went scuba diving (I was too claustrophobic with the mask and air tank on) and ate so much pineapple that we all had ulcers in our mouths. It was a blast and I want to go back. It is truly paradise.

4. Who is one person that you truly admire? Why?

Definitely my mother. She has been through so much in the past six or seven years with two hip replacements (one was a second replacement on a hip replaced 13 years ago), had back surgery, had surgery to have her bottom jaw rebuilt and had a "woman's " operation. And through all this, she kept her faith and her spirits up. She still has pain, but she doesn't let it get the best of her because she realizes that when the pain wins, her quality of life will diminish. She is a rock and the best mother a girl could have. And she will be 80 in less than two weeks.

5. You've won a contest. You can choose either a maid to do your housekeeping or a cook to make your meals for the rest of your life. Which do you choose?

Definitely a maid. I HATE to clean - it's just not in my genetic make-up. Even now, I have a cleaning lady who comes every other week - I hate to clean bathrooms and dust (thanks mom, for giving me your two least favorite tasks so I could hate them too!!!!) As far as cooking, I love to cook - even just simple things.

Here's the directions:

1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me."

2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. (I get to pick the questions).

3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.

4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.

5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

So if you would like to get five questions from me, leave me a comment and your e-mail address and I will be happy to interview you too!

The elephant in the room

Imagine that you live in a nice, normally quiet neighborhood. Imagine that you are driving home from church one evening and you spot something in the neighborhood that doesn't look like it belongs there. So you circle the block and make sure that your aging eyes aren't playing tricks on you. And this is what you see:



And another view:






I understand from a reliable source (the nurse at my doctor's office who also lives in the neighborhood and who, upon my entrance to the doctor's office for one of my many trips over the holidays asked "Did you see the Snowman?") that the "For Sale" sign is actually on the adjacent property. Judging by the size of the snowman and the RV in the driveway, I bet that this guy should is called "Spiteful the Snowman!" My mother always said that fences make good neighbors. Perhaps they should think about putting one up in the front yard!

By the way, the first thing I had to say to my husband was "don't get any ideas because this is not going up in our yard!" I guess I see if he heard me next Christmas.

Celebrating

I've been celebrating today. It's another anniversary of my 29th birthday. I figure that next year I will finally have to admit to being at least 30 and start celebrating anniversaries of my 30th.

It's been a nice day. My parents came to visit with my niece (the brat). We went out to dinner and enjoyed each other's company. My niece will be staying until Monday when I will return her to my parents house.

My Favorite Brat is here

I picked up my niece at the airport today. She is up north for a week from Texas, where she has lived for almost 7 years. I miss her terribly since she is my only niece and she grew up so far away.

Right now she is at my parent's house. She'll spend a few days with them and they will bring her to my house on Friday, when they come to celebrate my birthday.

The niece is a thrift store shopper. I doubt if 10% of her wardrobe was purchased any place other than a second hand store. Of course, when you wear a size 6-8, it's a little easier to shop at just about any place. So my mom and dad will take her to a thrift store or two and to the clearance sales at some of the department stores. And when she comes to my house, we'll probably do the same.

I enjoy spending time with her. She was just shy of one when I got married and almost three when my son was born. I spent the least amount of time with her when she was growing up, much less than I did with her three brothers, so I feel a little cheated. Then she moved away and I only get to see her about once a year. So I try to spend some one on one time with her.

And she and my son are very close - much like a brother and sister - they torment each other, argue with each other and ind the end, they enjoy each other's company and they share the same twisted sense of humor. When the two of them are together, we are all in for a few good laughs. When we attended her brother's wedding last summer, the two of them went kayaking one evening and on another, they went to a free midnight movie.

So for the next week, I will be enjoying my niece, who by the way, is a lot like me!!!!

Third Time's the Charm

It took three trips to the doctor to finally get this cold under control. A new antibiotic and that nasty, wonderful cough syrup and I am finally feeling better. As an added thrill, I got to go to the radiology center for a chest x-ray. No pneumonia, thank God.

I am on the road to recovery. Just a little tired, but coughing much less and feeling much better.